4v291o

Watched on Friday May 23, 2025.

Are films really necessary?Does it actually make a change,or is it just you patting yourself on the back?Is it really worth it,is it really better than turning a blind eye to those dead in front of you,hoping your recording would inspire something?Does it really inspire?Can art really be a useful tool for a revolution?Is it worth sacrificing two lives in front of you in the hope that your efforts yield fruit?

There are issues,but really impressed with the gall to attempt this with the budget they had.
Maybe if Krishand had done it,would have come out better.

Watched on Tuesday May 20, 2025.

It is always a pleasure to visit the la la land.

Watched on Saturday May 17, 2025.

There are so many individual dissenting,discernible moments,but as a whole a fucking acid trip man which absolutely refuses to come into the realm of understanding.I very much doubt kamal swaroop had an inkling of what he was doing as well and that makes for a fun ride.

Watched on Thursday May 15, 2025.

1 hr 20 minutes of a french woman calling me an unredeemable unfeeling bastard who has nothing except death to look forward to in every possible way.

Nenja nakki kozha kozha nu aakitinga dei.Oru alavukku positive a irukkalam,aana ivlo iruntha thappu bha.Staging,lensing,lighting and all other technical aspects are okayish,at times underwhelming.Works only when its self conscious(which happens sparsely,unfortunately).

Damn.An incredibly crafted thorough examination into the carcass of a man(or an excessively driven man) with a god complex,including the pores in his wall,countering his force by placing another man(man here for me is a placeholder for a man who finds himself secluded or pathetic in the common day to day world) using the ruse of another escape to make themselves great in a world they are worthless.Brilliant.

Tarkovsky is a director of the textures,whether it be visual or auditory cues.Water puddles,smoke,fog,rains,grassfields,papers,leaky roofs constitute his cinema.With this he creates an ethereal world which manages to create the perfect environment for his philosophical musings.I dont agree with him on so many aspects,but how could you disregard a filmmaker trying to be as truthful as possible and putting himself under so much scrutiny and observation by baring himself,for achieving his truth.I mean,if he believes in what he believes after having had such a conflict in his head,then I probably can't say he is wrong,just like I can't say I am wrong as well.

Only masters can use the artistic medium of film in such an transcendent manner,and he is right at the top.Calculated camera movements(pans mostly,mechanical pans),long takes,slow zoom ins,absolutely drop dead gorgeous visuals,impressive wordplay,pitch perfect cuts and editing,sound effects, which isolate you and place you in a vaccuum,incredible mise en scene and excellent excellent performances,how could you even make cinema better than this.

A marvellous contemplation on faith, religion,science,art and the ever existing question of the human unknowns:reason and meaning.Will be my favourite film of all time(despite my hate for these denotions),for such a phenomenon is almost a miracle.

Reminded of so many films ranging from la jetee to colours of pomegranates.The film poses a very intriguing question to me:What makes a human?Is it his physical form?Or his actions?Or his memories?Or his ideas?For,the bride the ghost and the husband both have the same face.The face she can assign her memories to are one and the same,but still there is a difference.How does one label a memory in such a case,and how do you define a human,for the existence of a physical,distinguishable mass should suggest for an more rigid answer,rather than the extremely complex definition Or amalgamation that we face in our reality.An even more important question arises from this one:how do you define ourselves and are we divorcable from our physical being or they are one?The ghost here is one such entity which is divorcable from its physical shape and assimilates itself to the physical entity it encroaches upon.Are we ghosts are we something else?

Karthik has never liked setting up his stories.He has always had too many ideas he wants to stuff into the film.It is almost like he wants to go in every path he thinks of when conceiving the film,milking and exploring its terrain to the maximum(he weirdly has the ability to make it work as well,not here tho unfortunately).He wants to make sure that we understand what the world is,by forcing it into our throats.Even in jigarthanda double x(which I absolutely loved),the first 20 minutes choke us with an overload of information about the world and its hierarchies.Now,he has found a tool that will help him counter this inability : "90s screenplay".Bullshit.

The first half is an absolute shitshow.Atleast my man had the sense not to hold up the shenanigans in the second half(although,as I said it,the 90s screenplay gimmick might purely have been a way to escape criticism).Also,why did he hop from one interview to another saying this is a love story.Iraivi did it better.Jigarthanda had it better.This one is just another classic tried and tested love story,and milking its 90s screenplay gimmick,extremely cheesy.I mean is she so dumb to believe that the man who was harassing him the previous day would ask him sorry,just because her ex,who is a violent individual begged them too(again a liberty taken by Karthik,but doesn't suit the film).Also the transition into a superhero origin story and the way he tries to astound us by rounding up the story with another information overload and a genre change(karthik subburaj trademark) didn't work.Up until that point I did enjoy the second half but again this took me out.All his other films worked out because despite his flaws,he sets up.Here its ends up falling on its face.

While the score was good,it was nowhere near SaNa's greatest albums.Surya's performance was goodish(he always feels fake,especially when he smiles,personal opinion but ya) at best and pooja practically didnt have to do shit,except be there and laugh(she did have a subtle undertone to her performances,but nothing more).The first few sequence's DI was downright horrible on the eyes,while the others gradually became better.The nighttime sea sequence was super cool.The technical departments put in good work as is usual with a great director with a sizeable budget.The action sequences are well blocked and shot,which is what actually drew me into the film.And whats up with the appropriation of Buddha as a god and connecting him to Hinduism,cmon man,bullocks.

Certainly not as bad as I had thought it would be after the first half,but nowhere near as good as the hype suggested.I can't be too harsh on it as it dares to experiment,but still falls flat on its face.Also is long one takes the new gimmick in tamil mainstream auteur cinema.Viduthalai had a purpose for it.VDS could have done without it,but the execution was excellent and it is always nice to see films use single shot sequences(I HATE CUTS) so no complaints.Here,the entire sequence felt unnecessary and gimmicky.I honestly love the idea and really dig films reducing the cutting of footage,but shooting just a single sequence in that manner is just another lousy gimmick.

Tries to be a tarantinoesque slave exploitation film,in the KaSu way,but doesn't.

Should have been a bit more condescending towards its main character(Not to say it wasn't,because it was,a brutal undressing of a male baby with endless money fuelling his ego filled rampage),but still an unflinching portrayal of pain at a level where it can get as ugly as possible(aka when the pain is with a guy and is disgustingly rich) and of an disgustingly privileged rich guy going around lamenting his breakup(for which he was the primary reason) as the worst thing to ever happen to humanity and fuck everybody up.

While I do not disregard the value of the pain that it caused and am a firm believer that pain shouldn't be compared and its effect is incredibly relative,still fucking up everybody else's life instead of just fucking up yours is absolutely fucking bullshit.

Abhay Deol delivers an incredible performance,while Anurag directs it incredibly well.This is the first time I did like Aarti Bajaj's editing,and it is prominently because she let's it breathe,not just cutting and chopping every scene up(I still didn't understand the need for the abrupt transitions,it felt like they forgot how to end a scene).Also while some songs are absolutely brilliant,some songs felt unnecessary as well.Rajeev ravi,does an excellent job,especially in the second half,when the flashier stuff comes in.

An incredibly warm and genuine piece of cinema,which deals with a child coping with lack of attention and focus.It is not such that there is no parental love,for there are moments where,beyond their tightly knitted adult world,they do notice her world and provide care for it,but the moments are too far and fleeting influenced by a multitude of social factors(misogyny,class differences etc) and personal which makes this such an impactful one.Haven't felt so impacted by a film in a long long time.

I really really dug this movie,especially the way it set the stakes,by having Balan walk for the entire credits,physically imposing on us the disconnection from the world,which plays a very important role in this Malayalam western.But,whenever it went up close to the characters,the really caricaturish acting(Mohanlal gives the only good performance of the film for me),editing and direction(on the contrary the wider takes and the other parts were impeccably staged and directed,confounded by that contrast) did frustrate me(90s hallmark perhaps,or perhaps the downsides of shooting on film).
Have to mention the cinematography,which is really really well done.A very good watch,with the only undersides being its age.

Watched on Friday May 2, 2025.

Just because you are doing a surrealistic movie doesn't mean you have to use abrupt fucking cuts,you know.An incredibly personal(artists always are going to be making art about themselves in one way or the other) film by Kashyap,which one does eventually wrap their heads around,but the editing and the music really really took me off from the mood(and for the record,I really really love surrealism).If it had landed properly with all the cards being served right(the middle part especially),it would have been amazing,but sadly it doesn't for me.Not by any means a bad(infact it was a good movie) movie,but not a great one.

Watched on Sunday April 27, 2025.

Cinema is life and beyond.A source of escape while at the same time a source of connection.Cinema is just so fucking marvelous man.

Watched on Thursday April 24, 2025.

One thing I could say about this film and No country for old men(I was younger at that stage,so didnt "understand" per se) is that,while it did make me contemplate on the themes which it seems to be wanting to,it also feels that it is of my own undertaking,not an effect of the film,and while that might seem like its generous and no showboating aka the best kind of manners you would except something to have,sometimes a bit of pompousness might make the subject at matter hit even more hard,and idk make the artwork feel more worthy ig,atleast for my perception.

Beautiful.

Watched on Saturday April 19, 2025.

I don't fuck with ghosts and vampires and shitt,but this has an uniquely original setting and a voice rooted and strong,which makes me overlook the conventional vampire bits,which contradict the film.

Watched on Wednesday April 16, 2025.

It is another rehash of the endless Hollywood indie film trope,with the same shitty composition,editing,style,acting and everything(I hate rehashes and seeing the same run of the mill film again and again and again),but ya I didn't feel the runtime and too bothered with it,so I guess I will take it.

Watched on Friday April 18, 2025.

Cinema is the most wonderful motherfucking thing ever invented.

This one had me jumping up and about when it was about cinema,but whenever it peers away from it(not a little deviation but completely) lost me.Doesnt quite achieve the epic feel(to be an epic,you have to let it breathe a bit),it was going for,but ends up being a great tribute to the artform and the phenomena that cinema is.

Watched on Wednesday April 16, 2025.

Bleak.

Naslen is just so damn good at being the "literally me" thing that he single handedly elevates everything he is in.

While the contextual differences(both religious and cultural) were too wide for me to grasp that this is a spoof,the entire film made me a idiotic,simple thing(a.k.a ritual)I used to when I was 15 years old.I used to have this pvc pipe,which I used to make foretellings.I used to have two options,sometimes more.And I would throw the pipe up n number of times(n corresponds to the number of options).If I had caught the pipe,the corresponding options will become reality.Most of the times,if I don't get my preferred options,I would do a retake on the ritual.Now that I think of it,it isn't as stupid as I thought,in fact I could have even started a religion,for organised religion is such,except done by "serious people" and "adults".

Ps:To tackle religion and say all of it is play pretend would be as dumb as organised religion.Religion is a form of formed hope,fake but to live you have to believe in some stupid bullshit.The problem with religion is that it doesn't acknowledge its fakeness and becomes holier than thou,as if it is the only option ahead.It fails to realise that it is just one of the n number of ways through which humans build sandcastles in air so that they can survive.Rather it takes itself seriously enough to build an organisation that oppresses and suppresses people.It keeps people dumb and forbids them from questioning.It doesn't allow people to realise what it is and how what they actually worship is something which is tailor fit to just one person who created it,not to them.

Bleak and painful,almost like the feeling where just existing is excruciating enough that time freezes,headache overloads,excruciating becomes the norm and you are locked there,with death the only escape from this unescapable torture,but you aren't brave enough to do that yourself so you withstand it enough to face another day.While I didn't get the entire thing when I watched,understanding the plot,made me appreciate the morbidly bleak nature of life that this film somehow manages to capture,within its sociopolitical context.

Watched on Monday April 14, 2025.

Watched on Monday April 14, 2025.

Marvelous.

Pov in films is a curious thing.You would think about why it has taken so long for a film to use this,especially considering its prominent usage in video games.I had this doubt as well and I found my answer today.The film is excellent and its first person perspective made me appreciate more about human faces and in general life.But I do think while this might seem the most appropriate subject matter to use first person POV,it is not.We require a third person perspective for we need a reference point,a person with their own characteristics on which we could base our narrative on.The only point where first person pov could be actually used in filmmaking is when you craft a narrative which just presents the facts the way it is,without the personal lensing and let the world make decisions from it.Even if the characters in it take decisions it takes away from its merit.And to craft a world or an experience without personal lensing is not humanely possible.While Ramell Ross,does do a very good job at it,the personal biases are still there(not wrong,not at all),something which doesn’t bode well with the use of the tool.Also,i dont know if it was because of the POV style or the actors,but I did not find the acting to be upto the mark.

To make an experiment as this,however is incredibly monumental,for I,atleast the person I know,wouldn't have thought about it,even if I wanted to.But at the same time,this "gimmick" would have worked much more with a certain type of world,which I hope(and by extension all artists) I could create.

Tf

I get it,in a time where you haven't seen movies like this,you see this,your mind is blown.But as a 18 year old teen living in 2025,having already watched godfather and its n number of variations,it clearly loses its merit as an original piece of art and hence,for me cannot be a work of highest esteem.I didn't enjoy it very much(I did like the second half),so I can't give it a higher rating on a personal preference as well.It is incredibly surface levelish and posh(dialogues,oh I hate those crisp looking posh dialoguey films),which irks me(only Iruvar so far has justified his style for me),and its montagey storytelling in the first half(I dislike these screenplays as well,especially when not done well) doesn't work with me.You can jack off to almost every frame though,that is there.Kamal Hassan does an impeccable Marlon Brando impression for 2.30 hrs(it is so so noticeable at times),but does pack a punch.A goodish watch,but could have done much more.
Now I see where Ilayaraaja got the idea of scoring upbeat pop music for police movements and actions in Viduthalai.

It's best moments are when it doesn't take itself seriously(thankfully it doesn't take itself seriously for a reasonable amount of time) and goes batshit crazy.Doing a spoof with a big star must be the dream,but when you are doing a spoof(or absurd batshit comedy,whatever you prefer),you should be fully committing to the bit,not trying to make statements and "emotional" scenes(Aadhik is downright bad in handling these) which is a problem Mark Antony had as well(it makes me doubt if the parodical nature is intended or is it just extremely shit,which are two opposite reactions).And Aadhik's treatment of women(incel core,and no this wasn't part of the parody,if it was I wouldn't be here complaining) is something which troubles me.
Big props to Ajith for accepting something like this(but something tells me he did because of it).

Watched on Sunday April 6, 2025.

Sexyyyyy.Might not be worth 4.5,but the film really clicked with me,so fuck the negatives.

Excellent staging and composition. As a piece of history and rebellion,might be cool,but as a film it was too dated and melodramatic for my tastes.

I went in expecting a shit but easy on eyes watch and I got it.The production values are huge and the set design is excellent,but extremely shitty staging,writing,editing and acting(both casting and acting) make this a underwhelming affair.But ya as I said,I didn't feel the runtime and most probably it was because of my approach to it.
Ps:Sir naanga old souls sir naanga sivaji reference veppom sir naanga vintage sirrrrrr.Also didnt expect dhanush of all people to reuse the beach kaaranga local language pesuna rowdy unsafe trope.

What a film!One can only hope to compose as Kurosawa does.Ran is certainly an this film on all aspects,but this film in itself is a marvelous piece of art,where every frame could be a painting(and knowing Kurosawa,it would have been).The story(I hate to use that term) and the screenplay could have been worked on a bit(a bit as I said,especially in the last stretches of the film,Kurosawa seems to be confused),but a masterpiece.
Tatsuya nakadai is officially my favourite actor of all time(How I wish I could have directed him).

When it comes to acting,voice plays a major role.In theatre acting,rather than your physical performance,it is the vocal performance which matters the most.You can easily fool people into a great performance.In cinema,it wasn't possible with the silent films.Then it became possible.You can't completely get away with it,but you still can,atleast a decent amount.Basil is an excellent voice artist.Excellent.His acting skills though,they leave a lot to be desired.But still through his script choices and voice acting he carries on forward,under the guise of a good actor.While his overall acting skills keep improving with each of his hits(almost everything this man does is a hit,full credit to his script choices),his eyes never seem to be able to act,sticking out like a sore thumb.
As a film could have been done much better,with all the technical departments doing an average job.I was particularly not impressed with the cinematography,especially considering the beauty of its setting,and the scope at play here.The screenplay and the setups could have been done better too.But the core saves this film,and carries it as well,too a considerable extent.Steffi is the real victim of this situation:Not Ajesh.All the man catching the rear end of it are just benefitting from their own bad choices for patriarchy not only restricts women,but in a certain way,the man as well.Everyone is stuck in a system which ends up basically oppressing the collective majority for the rich minority,but within which we create these oppressions.This film does the bare minimum,which in itself has been denied,by acknowledging and bringing it as a part of the narrative.Mariano is as much a villain as Bruno was or even Ajesh(he exploits the injustice that dowry is to make money,even though he isnt forcible and all that),but the film in order to make it filmy and interesting,forgot to sympathise(I mean if you did it for one side you have to do it for the other and in a better way;I would have placed steffi as a focal point tho)with them and their plight as well.Had it been done better it could have been much much more interesting as a film,for even the very generic visiting Ajesh's home sequence manages to evoke a reaction in me.
Ps:Is it just me or the opening song sounds very similar to "jaathikotham" from Thaneer mathan dinangal.

A idk night just turned even more bonkers idker.Not much in of "narrative" ,but the need and want for an narrative aka a tangible human known pattern so you can always be in the known(not to say there isn't one here,because,deep down,there is)will be the undoing of art.
Weirdly,in the most weirdest,impossible way,I didnt want it to end.

What a fucking film.If not for the convenient scripting(very minimal but still) in the first half,a near excellent film.Adam sandler puts in an hell of a performance.

1. Loveable
2. One of Those Days When Hemme Dies
3. Mamífera
4. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
5. The Girl with the Needle
6. Anora
7. Memories of a Burning Body
8. Invalid
9. All Shall Be Well
10. To a Land Unknown

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.